When a Chef and Floral Designer Fall in Love

Sachi and Joey invited me over to see their new apartment in Sausalito, CA, and as soon as I stepped foot inside, I realized I never wanted to leave!!

Sachi freelances as a floral designer and Joey is a chef. They met while working at a restaurant together and the spark of attraction was immediate (as Joey enthusiastically attests). Despite having moved into their new home just a few weeks prior to my visit, their cozy space was full of artifacts representing their talents and relationship together. We spent the early morning making pasta from scratch, enjoying a leisurely breakfast, and watching the sun slowly warm its way through the coastal clouds. Afterward, we took a dip in the San Francisco Bay, which was only a few minutes walk away. With the backdrop of Sausalito's incredible cliffside views all around us, I couldn't have imagined a more charming place to reside.

I loved seeing how at ease these two were with one another and how naturally they settled into each other's arms. Watching Sachi and Joey interact was like witnessing a private song play out that only these two could hear, which paralleled their living situation so well. I was so surprised to see that the hustle and bustle of the Golden Gate Bridge was only one minute away from their home. However, unless someone let you in on the secret of this little neighborhood you would never have guessed!

Read more of our interview with them below.

How did you meet?

We were both working at a small restaurant in West Marin.

Sachi, tell us about your work as a floral designer, what drew you to that work?

My mom bought me a bouquet of flowers on every special occasion when I was growing up. It became my dream job at the age of five. I traveled and worked in my twenties and finally got that dream job. I love being a floral designer constantly being surrounded by beautiful blooms and many talented floral friends.

Joey, share a bit about your journey to becoming a chef.

After getting out of the military I was looking for a career that would was high demanding, constantly changing and would keep me on my toes. I fell in love with bartending while working down in San Luis Obispo at an awesome little cocktail restaurant called Sidecar but at that time wasn't even thinking about working full time in the hospitality business. It wasn't until a while later that I realized my passion for food and drink and then applied to culinary school in San Francisco.

What attracted you to each other?

From Joey: The first thing that caught my attention to Sachi was her laugh. It's contagious! After a while, I finally worked up the courage to ask her out for a drink and we've pretty much-been side by side ever since!

How do you feel your line of work complements each other?

Since both our jobs are artistic in nature we can bounce fun ideas off of each other. Like for example, different plating and table arragements. In fact, we are starting a private event company together. The focus will be on flowers and food together in a tasting menu style format. Still working out some issues but things are moving along nicely and we are very excited.

Do you feel like you can relate to each other's work problems, challenges, victories? Do you think that plays a role in your relationship?

Yes, we both have jobs that require long hours and can be stressful. It helps to talk to one another about your day and we both respect each other's work and proud of each other when we accomplish our goals.

Tell us about your home. What makes it so special to you?

We both fell in love with Sausalito. It has such easy access for our commutes to work. It apartment itself has lots of storage space for Sachi's flower stuff and a large kitchen with a fantastic view of the San Francisco bay.

What are your favorite things to do together in San Francisco?

We love trying new places to eat at San Francisco's many restaurants and also setting up picnics on the Sausalito water front. Every now and then we love to head up north for some wine tasting in Napa or getting oysters in West Marin.